Book Review (unfiltered): The Four

Okay so first of all, let’s get all the niceties out the way…

Thanks so much for stopping by!

So. I need to send out a HUGE apology to everyone who has gone out on my recommendation to purchase this book which is, in my informed and humble opinion, incredibly overpriced and to be honest a huge piece of American entrepreneur propaganda bullsh*t. Why you ask? lets get to it then!

“I hope the reader gains insight and a competitive edge in an economy where it’s never been easier to be a billionaire but it’s never been harder to be a millionaire.”

– Scott Galloway (Author of The Four)

Scott Galloway is an incredibly well- researched writer in the scope of the four companies he writes about (Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google) however I personally think that his defense in later chapters of his book regarding why these four companies specifically and why not others was incredibly weak.

Let’s take the one example that I got to that made me throw this book away where he states reasons why Alibaba could never be a company that influences consumer culture. Bullshit right? Cause we know how big Alibaba is and how much of a big deal Jack Ma is from reading ” The house that Jack Ma built“. The author essentially writes off Alibaba based on his ignorant opinion that its not a company that is big enough in America and can therefore never even begin to compete with Amazon. Wait what? I’m not sure who deemed America the centre of the universe but last time I checked Asia has a bigger population than America and Alibaba is highly utilized in China, more so than Amazon. Sooo… how can Amazon be taking over in the bigger scheme of the rest of the world…..? Don’t get me wrong, it is an amazing organization isatin, with an amazing history, however, no corporate, no matter how big and “innovative” is immune to the burning platform syndrome.

As I said, I think the author is well researched but I loathed the ignorance and bias undertones towards a specific region so much that I literally had to throw that book away; it won’t be making it into my collection but it was certainly informative in some areas which were good enough to document.

So in conclusion, if you are looking for fast facts of “the four”, definitely pick this expensive piece of sh*t up, however if you are looking for an objective, well- written observation of who the four leading organizations are that are taking over “the world”- don’t pick this book up. It spits on entrepreneurial efforts of billionaires with successful business models, who don’t fit the stencil of the “American dream”and God knows we don’t need anymore marginalisation in this cold world.

Some highlights and interesting observations below (if you still care to read):

Chapter 1:

55% of people search for a product start on Amazon vs 28% on Google which definitely shows consumer confidence on the platform that is Amazon.

Chapter 2:

“Instinct is a powerful chaperone, always watching and whispering in your ear, telling you what you MUST do to survive”

Galloway sets the scene around consumerism and the role of men and women in this context by referencing Hunters and Gatherers, with a comparison of the modern day man and woman to the Paleolithic and Neolithic people

” if you google biggest mistakes in business history, the majority of results are risks that firms failed to take such as excite and blockbuster passing on acquiring google and Netflix respectively….”

Write up on Amazon’s floating warehouse

Chapter 10-“The Four and You”:

My favorite chapter to be honest! Galloway sneakily starts off with the following phrase

” follow your talent, not your passion”

It’s fantastic and so so relevant! In chapter 10, Galloway basically breaks down the critical components one needs in order to stand out in the 21st century. He highlights the number of “good” graduates there are but goes on to state that “good” is just not good enough to survive the digital age. He breaks down key focus areas one must master/ apply in order to beat the curve, show you have grit, and generate wealth.

These are the sorts of things your mentor must be talking to you about; sharing of insider secrets for your success, Not, “tell me how’s work?”.

page 266: together the horsemen employ 418000 employees- the population of Minneapolis. If you combine the value of the 4 horsemens public shares of stock, it comes to $2.3 trillion. CRAAAAZY…

2 thoughts on “Book Review (unfiltered): The Four”

hehe.. not as bad as I had imagined it would be and if anything this review has evoked my curiosity.. but thats the thing about me, Im always interested in books with underwhelming reviews, even movies actually.. Now I feel the need to “Find out for myself” n formulate my own opinion. Perhaps we can exchange books? I have 1 I think u might like.
Let me know 🙂

That is so interesting! I’ve never heard of a person who actively explores badly rated film and literature… I definitely can borrow it to you, it is currently making its rounds in the office. Let me know when you’d like to read it.